BECAUSE MOST students welcome a chance to get out of class, anticipation builds as the first student group gathers in East Middle School’s theatre for an unnamed guest speaker. Students still in class listen closely for clues, distracted by the suspense. Their teachers allow it, equally excited for the news to spread. Finally, the applause and cheers rippling from the theatre and throughout the school alert everyone to the arrival of big news. Emerging country music artist Tiera Kennedy is in the house!
Kennedy is only part of the surprise. Representatives of The Country Music Association Foundation (CMAF) and Music Has Value (MHV) nonprofit organization are on hand to present new instruments and equipment for the band and the general music classes. The Country Music Association Foundation funded the gift coordinated by Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation to be distributed among schools in the Tullahoma City Schools District.
The value of the September 2023 donation extends far beyond the purchase of new instruments.
Atticus Hensley, East Middle School’s band director, said, “When we look at a total of $75,000 worth of equipment to distribute around seven schools, that’s amazing. You think when you receive an instrument in the room, and it goes into a child’s hands, the story is over, but it’s not. Because when that instrument or that other piece of equipment shows up in my room, it automatically frees up funds that the school board’s already given me. Instead of having to set them aside for new purchases, I’ve got a whole list of backlogged repairs that I can now afford to do, putting more instruments in the hands of kids. There’s a ripple effect. It’s not just the one kid; it’s all the kids in the program. It was uplifting.”
Uplifting and of value, like music. According to publicschoolreview.com, studies show that the positive impact of theatre, music, dance, and visual arts programs in K-12 schools is measurable. Students in the arts programs:
- Perform better in math, reading, and writing
- Have fewer reported behavioral incidents
- Have improved attendance
Students with low socioeconomic status are known to have additional benefits, such as better long-term academic, occupational, and social outcomes than their peers not enrolled in arts programs.
Teaching a student to play an instrument has value to the student individually. Hensley knows he’s giving them an alternate mode of expression. That’s the main thing some get from being in a band or the choir. But for others, learning to read music and play an instrument teaches them to read and interpret a language and symbols and to problem-solve as they play. The product they create is interpreted moment by moment by both the performer and the audience member.
“When a child is involved with the process, it opens up different modes of thought and allows them to think more about others because you have to think about how the audience will listen to this. What are they going to hear? It’s not just the individual. When you’re part of a band or choir, you’re part of a community that functions on a daily basis. There’s a whole lot of interpersonal problem-solving,” said Hensley. “So we’re teaching them to be thinkers, we’re teaching them to be citizens, and we’re teaching them to be empathetic toward their fellow man. So, I find a lot of value, and I don’t think most people think of it that way. They see the product (hear the concert and see the artwork on the wall) but don’t get to see the process. And to me, the process is the magic.”
According to Tullahoma City Schools, four students got a closer look at the magic of the process and shared their love of music with Kennedy. Kennedy’s grade school music teacher was the first non-family member to affirm her talent and encourage her to share her gift with others. She shared her gift with the East Middle School student body, performing three of her current songs, reported cmaworld.com.
Hensley said, “There are a lot of different moving pieces that made this possible. I appreciate Tullahoma City Schools’ willingness to go through this process. Every time we ran into a hitch, the people from Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation were so helpful. The CMAF provided all that structure for us. If they had not been there to step up with the funding in the first place, it never would have happened. The Tennessee Department of Education in general, and specifically Todd Shipley, who, when this all began, was the fine arts representative at CMAF, made it happen along with MHV, which partnered with CMAF to provide all those funds.”
It is a priceless gift accepted by an appreciative student body.
“The looks on their faces,” said Hensley. “Like, this is a ride. We didn’t know what road we were going on, but it was a great ride.” GN
